


Afterglow

by the_sylph_of_mind



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blood, Gen, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:49:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1525166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_sylph_of_mind/pseuds/the_sylph_of_mind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sollux shows up at Kanaya's doorstep after a rave and finds her not at all in good health.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Afterglow

         Your name is SOLLUX CAPTOR and you’re not entirely sure where you are, and to be honest, you’re still a little fucked up. You clasp and unclasp the glow stick around your neck, the pop of it a little louder in your ears than it should be. You’ve been walking up a steady incline for a while, your grasp of time a little shaky. You rub your face and shake your head. It usually would have worn off by now. That damn guy must have been packing more loaded stuff that you’re used to. The cold air is helping you clear your head, though. Is…is it foggy? The air feels cleaner; you must be pretty high in the hills.

         You hear fabric flapping in the wind and your ears perk. You squint, trying to make out where the sound is coming from. You begin to see a shape in the distance…a ship? No, what would a ship be doing in the middle of the hills? You shake your head again, trying to dislodge what you assume can only be a residual hallucination. You blink and peer through the fog. A tall hive perches on the top of the hill, peppered with windows and blanketed in large swaths of fabric, fluttering in the whistling breeze.

         Your head clears as relief rushes though you. That’s right, after the rave, you were too fucked up to try and make your way all the way back to your own hive, and you remembered Kanaya lived relatively close to where the party had been staged. Sometime during your hike to her hive, your objective must have slipped away from you. Thank god you kept walking in the same direction. You brush your fingers through your hair and sigh. Next time you see the troll who sold you whatever is slowly filtering out of your body, you’re going to punch him. Someone selling at a rave of that caliber shouldn’t be making rookie mistakes like mislabeling. Fuckhead.

         You trek up the last stretch to her doorstep and ring the bell, hoping she’s in, otherwise she’d be coming home to you passed out on her doormat.  You hear a clatter, and then a crash from within the hive. You raise an eyebrow and knock gently.

         “KN? You in there?”

You hear stumbling, shuffling movements and watch the doorknob rattle for several moments before Kanaya opens the door, leaning most of her weight on the frame, hair a mess and skin pale. Well, paler than usual. You squint and ask her, voice a trifle too loud,

         “Uh…KN, you feeling okay?”

Her glassy eyes snap into focus at the sound of your voice.

         “What? Yes. Of course. I feel fine. You look lit up.”

You raise an eyebrow.

         “Is it that obvious?”

         “What? No, with lights, I mean. You are wearing many decorations that glow.”

She points to your neck, where a glow stick sits. You notice her eyes lingering on it a little uncomfortably long.

         “Heh. Yeah, I guess I am.” You chuckle, and notice the thin sheen of sweat on her usually flawless skin. “You sure you’re okay?”

         “I…I have not…” Her line of sight sits a little low, the glow stick around your neck highlighting her glossy eyes. You duck your head a little and peer up at her.

         “Haven’t what?”

         “…I assure you, I am fine.” She shakes her head and offers a weak smile, stepping back into her hive and gesturing for you to enter. “Will you come in?”

         You think for a second, still pretty groggy. She’s definitely not feeling her best, but if you just crash on the couch right away, you shouldn’t get in her hair too much or cause her any stress. You nod and say, “Yeah, sure.”

         She holds the door for you and you cross the threshold into her neat hive. You hear her sniff the air as you walk by. Do you stink? You were in the middle of a lot of other trolls, dancing and sweating on you and stuff. Maybe you should ask if you could shower? She stumbles a little as she closes the door behind you.

         “Please sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

         It doesn’t cross your mind that maybe you shouldn’t be asking for her to carry stuff, the offer of something to drink had brought to light how thirsty you are. You run a hand through your gross and sweat-caked hair. Eugh.

            “Water would be awesome.”

            “Yes of course.”

            “Thanks.” You say with a little smile.

            Kanaya disappears into the adjoining sustenance hollow. You flop down on her couch (wow, this thing is soft), fiddling with your glow sticks and focusing on your breathing, trying to regain full control of your faculties.

            You hear a glass shatter from the hollow. You flinch, but before you can ask if she’s okay, you hear a second glass follow suit. You wince and clear your throat.

            “Hey KN…you okay in there?”

            “Yes,” She calls to you, her voice wavering. “I just broke a glass, please forgive me, my hands are shaking and I…I…”

            She stumbles out of the kitchen. Jade blood runs down her hands, little cuts peppering her fingertips. She looks worriedly at her hands for a moment, then opens her lips and closes her mouth around her fingers. You stand as fast as your woozy head will allow and scuttle over to her, gently taking her shoulders in your hands.

            “You aren’t okay.”

         You glance down and notice she isn’t trying to stop the bleeding by putting her fingers in her mouth. She’s actively sucking the blood out of the cuts in her fingertips, a little trickle of jade forming at the corner of her mouth. Your stomach turns and you grab her hands and pull them away from her mouth. She lets out a little yip of protest.

            “Stop that, you’ll just make it worse.”

         She starts to shake. Her bioluminescence flickers briefly, and you shake your head, unsure if it’s a residual hallucination or if she genuinely is flickering. Her brow peaks worriedly and she looks from her hands, clutched in yours, staining them jade, up to your eyes, her gaze full of…is that…is she scared?

            “Sollux…Sollux I…”

            You nod and duck to her level again.

            “You?”

            She flickers again and lets out a whimper. Her gaze shifts from your eyes to your throat and her eyes glaze over, her pupils contracting into slits… _slits?_ You resist the urge to take a step back. You watch her train her gaze on the pulse in your neck and she emits a low hiss from the back of her throat. Her grip on your hands becomes insistent, and her expression changes from one of worry to one of aggression. Her brows furrow and she pulls her black lips back over her teeth, baring her fangs at you.

            You’re scared for a moment, then adrenaline assists your muddled brain in aligning itself for long enough to put two and two together.

            “Oh. Oh! KN you could have just asked, you know.” You smile and tilt your head to the side. “Go on.”

            You hear her stomach groan and her body is wracked by it. Jeez, how long had she gone without feeding? You see tears prick in her eyes. Your heart sinks and you squeeze her hands.

         “Come on, KN.” You lean in a little closer, releasing her hands and resting yours on her shoulders. “Before you keel the fuck over would be good.”

            She wrings her bloody hands and shakily reaches up to grasp your collar and brings you down to her level. You squeeze your eyes shut as you feel her breath on your neck, bracing yourself, but rather than the sting of teeth piercing your skin, you feel instead Kanaya’s lips, soft and dry. She slides her tongue between her teeth and presses it to your pulse. You shiver and hesitantly open one eye, confused and a little aroused, you think? You slowly let your hands fall from her shoulders to her hips and pull her closer.

            “H-hey, don’t be a tease. I said you could have dinner, not dessert, heh, hehehehAUGH.”

            She sinks her teeth into your neck.

            You tense up instinctually, but you feel her moan and relax, nearly dropping to her knees in relief, and you grip her hips and help her steady herself, forcing your muscles to loosen. You feel liquid trickling down your shoulder and soaking into your shirt, her small whimpers vibrating through your throat. You run one hand up her side and give her hair a reassuring pat, trying to ignore just how many times you hear Kanaya swallow, and how freaking ruined your shirt is gonna be.

            She unclenches her grip on your collar and slides her hands up your neck and through your unwashed hair. You shiver, partly because it feels nice, and partly because it’s so gross, you’re embarrassed. She pushes her mouth a little more insistently against the puncture wounds in your neck. You groan, starting to get a little dizzier than you already were, and gently push her hips away from you.

            “Don’t…f-fuckin’ kill me…”

         She surfaces from the crook of your neck with a gasp, her shapely lips discolored with yellow, sucking your blood from her teeth. Your eyes widen a little at the spectacle of your vital fluids barbarically staining the mouth of the most refined person you know, more than a little perturbed.

            “Uh…feel better?”

            “Sol…Sollux?”

            “Hmhm?”

She rocks back on her heels and you watch her eyes flutter open and spin around the room before blearily focusing on you.

            “Did you…”

            “Did I what?”

            “Your b-blood tastes…ohhh…”

         She wobbles and nearly falls back, reeling and gripping your hair. You yelp briefly and grab her hips, pulling her forward and into you just so she stops pulling your hair up from the freaking roots.

         “KN what’s going on?”

         “Uuuuhhhnnnnnff…”

         “Should I uh…have told you about the stuff I took a couple hours ago before I let you suck out my blood?”

         “This has never…happened before….I think I have acquired secondhand whatever it was youuuuuuuu...”

She rests her head under your collarbone and moans. You chuckle a little and gently squeeze her hips, reassuringly.

         “Shit, I guess I should’ve given you a heads up…heh…”

Her fingers shakily slide up your arm and curl under your collar. You raise an eyebrow, stiffening a little.

         “Uh…KN? You okAUGH!” She grips your collar and scratches your chest as she yanks your shirt open, burying her face in your chest and sinking her fangs deep into the flesh under your collarbone. Fear rockets through you as you look down at the yellow blood, flowing much more freely, pooling at the curve of her stained lips and running down your chest, seeping into your stretched black collar and disappearing. Your trembling hands waver indecisively in the air, unsure whether trying to pull her off of you would be more dangerous than letting her continue draining you. She snakes her skinny arms around your waist and closes around you like a vice, pressing herself flush against you, taking another mouthful with a sickening gurgle.

         You feel sweat prick along your hairline, seeping up from under the flaking, dried brine on your forehead. You detachedly crave a shower and start to feel dizzy. The fear that had suddenly gripped you drained out and down just as quickly, and you rest your dully throbbing head between Kanaya’s horns, listening to the sounds of her siphoning your vital fluids. Your blood runs down her neck from the corners of her mouth, and she moans into the puncture wounds on your chest, the scratches from her sharp nails beginning to weep in long, raised lines around her lips pressed to your skin.

         She unwinds one of her arms from around your ribs, allowing you to draw in half a breath and briefly shake the fogginess from your head. She curls her fingers under your collar and drags it down again, clearing more of your tender, blood-stained skin and sharply yanking you down to her level. You hear her pointed nails tear the fabric, and feel a seam pop at the back of your neck. You feel a sudden wave of anger boil up in your throat and your eyes crackle and fizz threateningly, triggered by your sudden ire, causing you to snap your teeth and your hair to stand on end.

         “Kanaya, that’s _enough!_ ” You brace your palms against her shoulders and shove her away from you. She stumbles backward, her fangs ripping your flesh open wider upon their awkward exit. You hiss and press your shirt to the wounds, glaring at Kanaya over the tops of your glasses with your psionics at the ready.

         Kanaya, standing at odds with you on the other side of the room, wrings her bloodied hands, jade and mustard mixing into a distasteful medium color. Her hands are shaking, and she clumsily grasps her own collar and yanks on it, ripping sizeable holes in it with her sharp nails. Your defensive posture loosens, brows peaking. You know Kanaya well enough to know she would never treat her clothes that way. You must have really upset her…your eyes slowly sputter and fizzle out.

         “…KN?”

         She stares at you for a moment, her eyes glossing over with hints of jade, then balls her fingers into her collar and rips her shirt wide open. You nearly fall over, spluttering before managing to articulate,

            “Kanaya, what the shit!?”

            “I must disrobe.”

            “…What?”

            “Sollux, I must disrobe, you do not understand.” She pulls at her shirt, tearing it open a few inches lower. Your anger drains away pretty freaking quick, replaced by the realization that Kanaya is _tripping,_ and you’ll need to calm her down. You hesitantly take a step toward her, your hands outstretched gently, torn between looking away and not.

            “Okay KN, just relax, alright?”

            “Relax? How could I relax? I feel so alive! Clothes are silly! Fashion is silly!” She turns halfway around and scrabbles with the zipper at the back of her skirt.

            “Kanaya, stop—”

            “Sollux, please, this is very urgent and I cannot seem to find my zipper, please help me.”

            “Er…You want me to help you take your skirt off?”

            “I will never wear anything again!”

You gently take her shoulders and steer her towards the couch.

            “Okay KN, just, um…” She flops unceremoniously onto the couch, still struggling with her zipper. “Just, er…let me get you some water.”

            “No!” She grabs your hand and pulls you back toward her, pleadingly gazing up at you.

            “No?”

            “I don’t want to be alone…”

You’re stumped for a moment, stupidly staring at her big, glossy, worried eyes before taking a seat next to her on the couch.

            “Keep your clothes on and I’ll stay.”

         She grins happily and tries to reposition herself on the couch. Her shirt catches on her sharp nails (which, you distantly think, is a wonder it doesn’t occur more often, those things are so damn pointy), and the rent down the center of her shirt is torn clean in two. She holds the halves of her shirt in her hands and looks at it like a dead baby featherbeast, then slowly lifts her gaze to yours.

            “Oh. Oh dear, no…please do not leave me alone, that was an accident. Please do not go…”

         You honestly have no idea what to feel. Admittedly, Kanaya is gorgeous, wildly intelligent, and is someone you’d once or twice maybe fantasized about, shirtless, asking you not to go. But seeing her like this, drugged, scared, confused, it makes your stomach twist. This isn’t how she would want you, or anyone, to see her. You feel responsible. Your shoulders slump and you pull the blanket off the back of the couch, wrapping it over her shoulders. She slowly pulls the edges closer to her, the scraps of her shirt forgotten in her lap.

         “I’ll stay if you want me to.”

         She smiles widely and claps her hands together, something she would be caught dead doing sober, and scoots closer to you, hugging your arm like a child. One of your glowsticks catches her eye and she pokes at it, entranced. She pinches it between two fingers, then after a moment, suspiciously bites it. You pull it away from her.

         “KN, you don’t want to do that, that’s exactly how you get sick.”

She looks at you indignantly.

            “I doubt I could get sick by ingesting a foreign substance, Sollux. That is sort of my whole deal.”

            You chew your tongue. She has a point.

            “Well, yeah, but still, you know…”

            “Sollux.”

            “…Yeah?”

She reaches a wobbly hand through the gap in her blanket and runs it through your grimy hair, briefly brushing one of your horns. It makes you shiver.

            “KN, w-what are you doing?”

            “You have four of them.”

         You almost chuckle. You’ve never seen anyone change so radically after a dose. If there was a camera in the room Kanaya would doubtless burn the tape once she sobered up.

            “Yeah, I’m well aware of that.”

Her eyes get wide and she takes your face in her hands, leveling your gaze with hers.

            “This cannot be happenstance, that your numerical obsession is mirrored in your physical appearance. Are you sure two of these are not false?” She reaches up and touches your horns individually, pressing a little on each. You bite back a hitch in your breath as she does.

            “I’m sure they aren’t. They’ve b-been there my whole life.”

            “Sollux.” She takes your face in her hands again, enunciating even more than usual. Impressive, given her lack of sobriety. “This. Is. Bad. What if those extra horns are correspondence devices and the Empress planted them on you upon hatching so she could watch you your whole life? You know the legends; I bet she is looking for a replacement! What if we are in danger?”

            “Kanaya, calm down, I don’t think we’re in danger—”

            “We’re always in danger! Even regarding private things! I bet the Imperial Drones are on their way right now! They know we have nothing to offer! Sollux, we are going to die. Quick, kiss me!”

            “Kanaya, there’s no danger—wait, what?”

            “Sollux, please…” She seems in genuine distress, almost beginning to cry, the tears making her over-dilated pupils shine. You fiddle with the hem of your bloodstained shirt like a bashful child, wondering if it were better to make her feel more at ease or to not kiss her when she’s drugged. After a moment, you hear Kanaya’s breath hitch in a half-sob, and you decide it’s better to make her feel more at ease.

            “Okay.”

             She looks up from her lap and smiles, brows peaked, relief already washing over her. You tell yourself again that you’re doing the right thing as you lean in and press your lips to her bloodied ones. A blush rises in your cheeks, yellowing your skin as she slides her hands out from under the blanket and places her palms on your chest. One of her sharp fingertips prods a closing puncture wound under your collarbone and you wince and break the kiss.

         “Ow, fuck fuck…”

She looks at you, confused for a moment, then drops her gaze to her hands, several fingers stained with fresh blood. She licks at them.

            “You really shouldn’t do that. I don’t know how much is left in me, I doubt you need another hit…”

            “Okay.” She keeps looking at her hands. “I am sorry I reopened that wound. It was an accident…” She fearfully looks up at you through her lashes. “…are you angry with me?”

You sigh and lean back into the couch, exhausted and sobering up fast.

            “Nope.”

            “Are you sure? You are a pretty angry guy half the time. Sometimes…” She trails off, and drops her gaze again to her hands in her lap.

            “Sometimes…?”

            “Sometimes I worry that you do not think of me as your friend.”

You almost laugh and open your eyes, sitting up to face her.

            “KN, if we weren’t friends, would you be the first one I tried to find when I knew I couldn’t get home? And you’re only half right about that other thing.” You take her hands in yours, reassuringly. “I’m a pretty angry guy half the time, I’ll give you that, but I’m usually angry with myself. And I actually don’t think I could ever be angry with you.”

            She squeezes your hands and smiles weakly.

            “I suppose you have a point…it’s just, I worry quite a bit about the state of my relationships with our mutual friends,” Her shoulders slump. “…even though I know I most likely have very little reason to do so. But I am always afraid that one day I will wake up and nobody will care to spend time with me anymore. And I understand that I am currently drugged, but that doesn’t make what I feel or what I am saying any less true.” A tear runs down her cheek, the hallucinogens making her honest. You frown and pull her gently into your chest, careful to keep her horns away from your closing puncture wounds.

            “I know the feeling, trust me. I’ll be here, at least.” You chuckle, a little half-heartedly, not sure what your company is worth. “Why do you think you’ll wake up one day and nobody will want to hang out with you anymore?”

            “I’m a rainbow drinker with only friends to feed on, and I know that their tolerance thereof will wane. But…much as I might want to, I cannot change, Sollux. And I am scared. I have not fed in so long because I worry my friends grow weary of nearly dying every time I have a craving.” She sits up and looks into your eyes imploringly. “What do I do?”

            Her question catches you off-guard. You’re not used to people other than Karkat seeking your advice. You think for a moment, gently patting her hair to keep her relaxed.

            “Stop worrying.” You conclude. She blinks at you.

            “What?”

            “You should stop worrying, KN. Your friends love you for what you are, they understand you need to feed occasionally, and, can I tell you a secret?” She nods, solemnly. “It’s actually pretty hot.”

            She raises an eyebrow for a second before chuckling and smiling gently.

            “It is?”

            “Oh, hell yeah. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. You should ask KK about it and watch him stutter and stamp around; I bet it’ll be fucking hilarious. You don’t need to change, anything, KN.” You grin at her, and she smiles and rests her head again on your chest.

            “Thank you. This whole ordeal has been just…horrid. You’ve been so kind about it, thank you.” Her eyes flick over to the window. “Did that party you were at last all the way through the day?”

            “Yeah, I got here around sunset. Sorry for being that guy, heh.”

            “When did it get so dark?”

            “I imagine being ravenously hungry and then drugged will mess with your ability to tell time.”

            She makes an odd expression, then looks at her hands, turning them over, scrunching up her face.

            “Apparently, it messes with my ability to control my bioluminescence as well. What an inconvenience.” She looks over the back of the couch, eyeing a lamp. “I don’t remember the last time I had to use a light. I am not even sure that bulb still works. I suppose there is one way to find out…”

            She reaches over the back of the couch toward the lamp, just a few inches beyond her reach. She keeps stretching, sitting up on her knees, her weight shifting the couch onto two legs. You have a split second to think to grab the arm of the couch and her waist before the couch topples backwards.

            “Oof!”

You chuckle, and she chuckles with you, blushing.

            “I think this is a sign that you need to sleep this stuff off.”

            “Yeah.”

            “Do you still not want to be left alone?”

She shakes her head.

“No. Plus, I…don’t think I can walk in a straight line.”

            “Yeah, me neither. That’s okay. I’ve slept in worse places. Your couch is super soft, even like this, heheh.”

           She smiles and scoots closer to you, and is suddenly distracted by the glowstick still around your neck. You unsnap it and clasp it around her wrist before nuzzling into her hair and closing your eyes.

            “Sleep. If you like the glowsticks so much, I’ll take you out with me next weekend. We’ll get fucked up, it’ll be fun.”

            “You might need to run that idea by me again when I am sober.” She smiles gently and shivers. You notice her shudder and smack your forehead.

            “Oh, jeez, hang on. I bet you’re freezing.” You pull your own shirt off, bloodstained, but warm, and offer it to her. She sits up and lifts her arms, and you pull it on over her. You’re a little sad to see her flawless body covered, and you blush. “Hey, KN?” Her ears perk. “I, uh…I’m not sure how much of this you’ll remember, but…we should…you know, maybe when you aren’t raving hungry and I’m not high as hell, but…maybe, we could recreate some other parts of tonight some other time?”

            She blinks at you for a moment before blushing and smiling a little, pulling you closer to her and wrapping her arms around you for warmth. You respond in kind and wait a second before prompting,

            “So is…that a ‘maybe’ or…?”

             She laughs into your chest and turns her face upwards, briefly pressing her lips to yours. You wordlessly stare into the dark as she snuggles back into your chest, tenderly kissing the closing bite marks she had left there.

            “Ask me when I’m sober, Sollux.”

            “Er, right…yeah. Heh.” You kiss her forehead. “Good night, KN.”

            “Good night.”

You can feel her smile against your chest and you can’t help but grin a little too as you slip off to sleep.


End file.
